Rotatable spout closures with latch structures

ABSTRACT

Dispensing closures each having a closure body and a spout rotatably mounted on the closure body so as to be capable of being rotated between open and closed positions can be constructed so as to be incapable of accidental or unintentional opening under normal circumstances by the use of the latch means and a catch means. Either of these means can be located on the body and the other on the spout. These means are constructed so that they will engage one another, preventing undesired spout rotation, upon the spout being assembled in a closed position. By manipulation of the latch means the spout in a closure as described can be rotated from a closed position to an open position once the closure has been assembled with the spout in a closed position.

United States Paten Hazard [451 Apr.11,1972

[54] ROTATABLE SPOUT CLOSURES WITH LATCH STRUCTURES [72] lnventorzRobert E. Hazard, North Kingston, R.l. [73] Assignee: PolytopCorporation, Slatersville, R.l.

[22] Filed: July 27, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 58,263

[52] U.S. Cl ..222/153, 222/498, 222/534,

- 34 /6 26/24/26 f4 Z ;ZZif4 4 1-25 20 60 Primary Examiner-Robert B.Reeves Assistant Examiner-Francis]. Bartuska Attorney-Edward D. OBrian57] ABSTRACT Dispensing closures each having a closure body and a spoutrotatably mountedon the closure body so as to be capable of beingrotated between open and closed positions can be constructed so as to beincapable of accidental or unintentional opening under normalcircumstances by the use of the latch means and a catch means. Either ofthese means can be located on the body and the other on the spout. Thesemeans are constructed so that they will engage one another, prevent ingundesired spout rotation, upon the spout being assembled in a closedposition. By manipulation of the latch means the spout in a closure asdescribed can be rotated from a closed position to an open position oncethe closure has been assembled with the spout in a closed position.

12 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 11 m2 3, 655 O99 sum 1 or 2mum/r02 Ross/2T .5. HA 24/?0 EDWARD D. OER/Au A 7702415) 60 I III/15 5a56 PATENTEDAPR 1 I 1972 SHEET 2 [1F 2 lA/l/EN r02 ROBERT E HAzA R0 5yEon/A20 D. OER/AM Arrow/5y ROTATABLE SPOUT CLOSURES WITH LATCHSTRUCTURES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Increasing concern over safetyhas made commercially desirable the development of dispensing closureswhich cannot accidentally or unintentionally be opened under normalcircumstances In the past, many of these closures have been constructedso as to utilize a closure body or cap and a spout rotatably mounted onsuch a closure body so as to be capable of being rotated between openedand closed positions. When such a spout is in an open position, apassage within the spout is aligned with an opening in the closure body,and when the spout is in the closed position the opening in the closurebody is sealed off by contact with the spout. A dispensing closure ofthis type is shown in the Wilson et al. US. Pat. 2,793,795. Otherclosures of this type are known.

With the present concern over safety, it is considered that to beacceptible commercially such closures should be extremely difficult toopen and close. However, they should not be so difficult to open andclose that they cannot be opened and closed by individuals such asarthritics who do not have what may be regarded as complete muscularcontrol. However, they should be sufficiently difficult to open so thatthey cannot be readily opened by comparatively young children.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An objective of the present invention is tosupply new and improved rotatable spout dispensing closures which areconstructed so that they cannot be readily opened accidential orunintentionally. By way of explanation it is intended that the closuresof this invention be of such a nature that children of comparativelyminor years will not be able to open them under normal circumstances,but that these closures be of such a character that they can be readilyopened by somewhat infirmed individuals capable of normal mentalprocesses. Further objectives of the present invention are to providedispensing closures of the type described which can be manufactured atsubstantially the same cost as present-day related dispensing closures,which may be easily and conveniently assembled, which may be operatednormally, and which are extremely effective for their intended purpose.

In accordance with this invention, these objectives are achieved byproviding in a dispensing closure having a closure body and a closurespout rotatably mounted on the body so as to be capable of being rotatedbetween an open position in which a passage in the spout is aligned withan opening in the closure body and a closed position in which theopening is sealed off by contact with the spout, the improvement whichcomprises: a latch means and a catch means, both of these meanscooperating with one another for the purpose of holding or latching thespout in the closed position.

In a structure of this invention, one of the means are located on thespout and the other on the closure body. These means are constructed soas to interengage one another when the spout is assembled when the spoutis assembled or moved to a closed position so as to latch or hold thespout in such a closed position. They are constructed so that the latchmeans is capable of being manipulated so as to permit the spout to berotated to an open position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further details of this invention aswell as the manners in which the invention achieves the variousobjectives indicated in the preceding it will be apparent from a carefulconsideration of the remainder of this specification, the appendedclaims, and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a presently preferred embodiment or formof a dispensing closure of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

F IG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a spout as shown in the closureillustrated in the preceding figures showing the orientation of parts ofthe spout as manufactured;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a modified form of a dispensing closureof this invention;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a spout as shown in the closureillustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 showing the orientation of parts of'thespout as manufactured;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view corresponding to FIGS. 2 and 5of a still further modified dispensing closure of this invention; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a spout as show in the closureillustrated in FIG. 7 showing the orientation of parts of this spout asmanufactured.

From a careful consideration of the drawings, it will be realized thatthese drawings show several different embodiments or forms of dispensingclosures embodying or constructed in accordance with the concepts ofthis invention. From this it will be realized that these concepts arebroader than the specific structures shown. They may be embodied withinother somewhat differently appearing and/or somewhat differentlyconstructed dispensing closures through the use or exercise of routineengineering skill.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings thereis shown a dispensing closure 10 of the present invention. This closureis largely constructed as described in the Wilson et al. US. Pat. No.2,793,795 so as to include a cap or closure body 12 and a spout 14.These parts are separately integrally formed out of a polyolefinmaterial such as linear or non-linear polyethylene, isotacticpolypropylene or the like. They may also be formed of other polymershaving similar physical properties.

As formed the spout 14 includes a cylindrical base 16 from which thereextends a spout part or nozzle 18. This base 16 and the spout part 18include a centrally located passage 20 which extends through them. Thebase 16 carries axially aligned trunnions or shafts 22 which are adaptedto be located within entrances 24 having tapered walls 26 so that theymay be popped by temporary material deformation into bearing openings28. It is noted that the walls 26 are shaped so as to intersect theopenings 28 in order to define what may be regarded as restrictedentrances of smaller widths than the diameter of the trunnions 22 intothese openings 28.

When the trunnions 22 are assembled within the openings 28, the base 16is held by contact between the trunnions 22 and the openings 28 so as tobear against a sealing ring 30 located around an opening 32 in acentrally located cavity 34 in the top 36 of the closure body 12. Itwill be noted that in the assembled position substantially all of thebase 16 fits within the cavity 34. The sealing ring 30 is an integrallyformed resilient sealing ring capable of forming a seal against the base16 at all times. This sealing ring may be constructed in severaldifferent manners. One preferred way of constructing this sealing ring30 is shown in the Akers US. Pat. No. 3,495,745.

Once the trunnions 22 have been assembled within the openings 28 thespout 14 may be manipulated so as to be rotated between an open positionin which it extends vertically from the top 36 of the body 12 with thepassage 20 in alignment with the openings 32 to a closed position inwhich it extends substantially horizontally in a slot 38 in the top 36formed to receive it. In FIGS. 1 and 2 this spout 14 is shown in thisclosed position. This slot 38 extends from the cavity 34 so as tointersect a rounded edge 40 of the top 36 separating the top 36 from aperipheral skirt 42. This skirt 42 is preferably constructed in aconventional manner so as to include internal means such as threads (notshown) for attaching the closure 10 to an appropriate container.

To aid in forming a seal with such a container, a sealing ring 44 forengaging a container neck may be located on the under surface of the top36 within the skirt 42. A particularly suitable, preferred sealing ring44 is constructed as shown in the LaVange US. Pat. No. 3,370,732. Suchasealing ring 44 is illustrated. Other ring structures serving may beemployed as the ring 44.

In theclosure 10 the novelty is not found in the structure previouslydescribed but is found at the end 46 of the spout l4 and along what maybe regarded as a front surface of the skirt 42. In this closure 10, thenovelty pertains to the use of a latch means 50 formed integrally withthe spout 14 and to a catch means 52 formed at the front surface 48.This catch means 52 includes a small groove 54 located in the surface 48directly beneath the end 46 of the spout 14 when the spout is in aclosed position. This groove 54 is separated from the slot 38 by a smallwall 56.

The latch means 50 includes a tab 58 attached to the bottom of the end46 of the spout 14 by means of a small hinge section 60. This tab 58 isintegrally formed with the section 60 and the spout 14. Preferably, thistab 58 is of such dimension as to substantially cover the end 46 of thespout 14 and of such dimension as to extend beneath the spout 14 toapproximately opposite the groove 54 when the spout 14 is in a closedposition. If convenient for molding purposes the tab 58 may include anextension 62 of the passage 20. As formed the tab 58 is preferablyoriented with respect to the spout 14 as indicated in FIG. 3 so that ahook-like end 64 on it extends generally towards the base 16.

This structure is designed so that a sloping wall 66 on the end 64 willengage the wall 56 so as to be deflected in order to bend the tab 58 upagainst the end 46 as the spout 14 is assembled on the closure body 12in a closed position. Engagement of the surface 66 with the wall 56 willcause temporary material deformation during such assembly until suchtime as the end 64 pops" past the wall 56 into the groove 54. This end64 is shaped so as to be complimentary to the shape of the groove 54 sothat the end 64 will hold against the groove 54, preventing undesiredrotation of the spout 14.

When it is desired to rotate the spout 14 to an open position, the tab58 may be rotated or pushed away from the end 46 as shown by the arrowin FIG. 2 to a position as shown in phantom in this figure. As thisoccurs the section 60 will normally be franged because of its smallcross-sectional configuration, breaking off the tab 58. Thereafter, thespout 14 may be rotated between open and closed positions in aconventional manner. It will be realized that the tab 58 is connected bythe section 60 to the end 46 so that leverage will facilitate the tab 58being broken off in this manner.

It will be realized that by a simple reversal of parts the latch means50 can be located directly upon the surface 48 and that the catch means52 can be located upon the ends 46 of the spout 14. Such a structure isnot preferred because of the simplicity of the structure described andbecause of the leverage obtainable with the described structure. Withthe described structure the section 60 is molded so that it in effectalso acts as a spring means to maintain engagement between the end 64and the groove 54.

In the closure 10, the latch means 50 is essentially a breakoff type oflatch designed to prevent inadvertent, accidential or undesired rotationof the spout 14 until the latch means 50 is disengaged from the catchmeans 52. If for any reason such as undue thickness of the section 60the tab 58 does not break off as intended the closure 10 may still beused by a user engaging the hooked end 64 so as to spring this hookedend 64 out of engagement with the groove 54 and then thereafter rotatingthe spout 14.

In FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings there is shown a modified dispensingclosure 100 which is exceedingly similar to the closure 10. Forconvenience and in the interest of brevity, various parts of thisclosure 100 which are the same or substantially the same as variousparts of the closure 10 are not separately described herein and where itis necessary to refer to such parts herein, and where such parts areshown in the drawings, they are designated by the same numeralspreviously used to designate them preceded by the numeral 1. Variousparts of the closures 10 and 100 which are the same are not illustratedin the drawings.

The closure 100, a different latch means, than the latch means 50previously described is utilized with another catch means 152 which alsohas a groove 154 corresponding to the groove 54 previously discussed. Inthe closure 100 a wall 156 immediately above the groove 154 extendsvertically so as to close off the end of the slot 138. In the closure100 the latch means 152 also includes a tab 158 which is secured to thetop of the end 146 of the spout 1 14 by means of a small hinge-like,spring-like section 160. The spring-like section of the section 160 maybe obtained by molding it and the tab 158 as shown in FIG. 6. This tab158 may also include an extension 162 of the passage 20 if this isconvenient for molding purposes.

The tab 158 also includes a hooked end 164 having a bottom slopingsurface 166 which is adapted to engage the wall 156 as the spout 114 isrotated to a closed position so as to bend the tab 158 in such a mannerthat the end 164 may be snapped into the groove 154 as shown in FIG 5 ofthe drawing. Once in this position the tab 158 may be engaged along thesurface 166 at the front surface 148 so as to be rotated in thedirection of the arrow shown in FIG. 5 so as to move the end 164 out ofengagement with the groove 154. Thereafter, by pushing upwardly upon thetab 158 and continuing such rotation, the tab 158 may be broken off ofthe end 146 of the spout 114 so that the closure 100 can be operated ina conventional manner.

If desired, the section 160 can be molded so as to be thick enough sothat it cannot be readily franged. In this case the closure 100 may beopened by moving the tab 158 so that the end 164 clears the wall 156 andso that the spout 114 may thereafter be pushed or rotated to an openposition. It is preferred however, to form the closure 100 so that thesection 160 may be easily franged since normally only an initialimpediment to closure opening is desired.

If desired, the'closure 100 may include a small bead 168 on the wall 156opposite the ends 146 of the spout 114 to aid in securing the spout 114against undesired rotation. This structure is intended so that the bead168 may be popped into a groove 170 in the end 146 when the spout 114 isrotated to a closed position as the result of temporary materialdeformation. When the spout 114 is opened such deformation also occursso that the bead 168 can be popped or snapped' out of the groove 170. Ifdesired, a small cavity 172 may be located at the front surface 148 inthe wall 156 so as to facilitate engagement of an extending portion 174of the spout 114 which carries the section 160 This portion 174 is, ofcourse, only used after the tab 158 is broken off, and is used forrotating the spout 114.

In FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings there is shown a further modifieddispensing closure 200 of the present invention which again is verysimilar to the closure 10 previously described. In the interest ofbrevity the parts of the closure 200 which are of the same orsubstantially the same as various parts of the closure 10 are notseparately described in this specification, and where illustrated in thedrawings and referred to herein are designated by the numbers previouslyused to designate such parts preceded by the number 2. Various parts ofthe closure 10 and 200 which are the same are not indicated in thedrawings, or in this specification.

In the closure 200 a latch means 250 is located generally beneath an end246 of the spout 214 so as to cooperate with a groove 254 located in afront surface 248. In the closure 200 there is no wall exactlycorresponding to the wall 56 since the groove 254 is located in thissurface 248. With the closure 200 the latch means 250 includes anothertab 258 which is exceedingly similar to the tab 58. It is connected tothe bottom of the end 246 of a spout 214 by a small section 260 whichserves to hold it so that a hooked end 264 will engage the groove 254when the spout 214 is rotated to a closed position. During such rotationa surface 266 engages the front surface 248 so as to temporarily deformthe tab 258 so that the end 264 will snap into the groove 254.Preferably this tab 258 is molded with the spout 214 so as to extendwith respect to the spout 14 as shown in FIG. 8 in order that thesection 260 will exercise a slight spring action, biasing the end 264into engagement with the groove 254. This is the same type of springaction as is achieved by molding the tab 258 and the section 260 asshown in FIG. 6 of the drawings.

The closure 200 is cavity in substantially the same manner as theclosure 10 and 100. When the spout 14 is to be opened the tab 258 isengaged and pulled so as to release the end 264 from the groove 254.Normally the section 260 will be thin enough so that during suchoperation the tab 258 may be easily broken off this spout 214 as this isdone. When this is the case the spout 214 may thereafter be rotated in aconventional manner between open and closed positions.

However, if desired, the section 260 may be made sufficiently thick sothat it will not be broken off as the tab 258 is moved so as todisengage the hooked end 264 from the groove 254. When the tab 258 isnot broken off, pressure can be directly applied to it and/or the spout214 to rotate the spout 214 to an open position as soon as the hookedend 264 is free. Where the tab 258 remains on the spout 214 this tab 258will normally automatically operate so that the end 264 engages thegroove 254 each time the spout 214 is moved to a closed position.

From a careful consideration of the closures 100 and 200 it will berealized that they can be constructed with a simple reversal of parts sothat the latch means 150 and 250 are located on the closure bodies 112and 212 and so that the catch means 152 and 252 are located upon theends 146 and 246 of the spouts 114 and 214. Such structures are notnormally desired since the structures illustrated work effectively andsince the normal user of a dispensing closure having a rotatable spoutwill associate movement of some part of the spout as being necessary torotation of the spout itself. in this field of dispensing closurescustomer recognition of the mode of use is considered important from acommercial standpoint.

It will be realized from a consideration of the preceding that theclosures 10, 100 and 200 are simple, effective devices which may beeasily molded and assembled at a cost which is not significantlydifferent from the costs of molding and assembling prior relatedclosures. It will be realized that in spite of the simplicity of theseclosures that they are effective for their intended purpose and thatthey may be easily and conveniently used by a customer.

I claim:

1. In a dispensing closure having a closure body and a spout, saidclosure body having an opening extending therethrough, said spout havinga passage extending therethrough and being rotatably mounted on saidclosure body so as to be capable of being rotated between an openposition in which said passage is aligned with said opening and a closedposition in which said spout seals off said opening, the improvementwhich comprises:

a latch means and a catch means for latching said spout in said closedposition,

one of said means being located on said spout and the other of saidmeans being located on said closure body,

said means both being integrally formed with the parts of saiddispensing closure upon which they are located,

said latch means including a tab which is movable with respect to thepart of said dispensing closure upon which said latch means is locatedand a hooked end located on an extremity of said tab,

said catch means comprising a groove,

said latch means being sufficiently deformable and movable so thatcontact of said hooked end with the part of said dispensing closure uponwhich said catch means is located will cause temporary deformation ofsaid latch means so that said hooked end will snap into and engage saidgroove in such a manner as to prevent rotation of said spout relative tosaid closure body said latch means being located at the end of saidspout so that said tab overlies the end of said spout,

said tab being integrally connected to said spout by a hinge sectionforming a part of said latch means, said hinge section extending acrossthe bottom of the end of said spout, and

- said hooked end being located in said tab beneath the bottom of saidspout and is resiliently biased into engagement with said groove by saidhinge section serving as a spring.

2. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said hinge section has a sufficiently small cross-sectionalconfiguration so that it will break upon the movement of said latchmeans relative to said spout so as to release said hooked end from saidgroove, enabling said dispensing closure to be thereafter operatedwithout impedement from said latch means and said catch means.

3. in a dispensing closure having a closure body and a spout, saidclosure body having an opening extending therethrough and beingrotatably mounted on said closure body so as to be capable of beingrotated between an open position in which said passage is aligned withsaid opening and a closed position in which said spout seals off saidopening, the improvement which comprises:

a latch means and a catch mans for latching said spout in said closedposition,

one of said means being located on said spout and the other of saidmeans being located on said closure body,

said means both being integrally formed with the parts of saiddispensing closure upon which they are located,

said latch means including a tab which is 'movable with respect to thepart of said dispensing closure upon which said latch means is locatedand a hooked end located on an extremity of said tab,

said catch means comprising a groove,

said latch means being sufficiently deformable and movable so thatcontact of said hooked end with the part of said dispensing closure uponwhich said catch means is located will cause temporary deformation ofsaid latch means so that said hooked end will snap into and engage saidgroove in such a manner as to prevent rotation of said spout relative tosaid closure body,

said latch means being located at the end of said spout so that said'taboverlies the end of said spout,

said tab being integrally connected to said spout by a hinge sectionforming a part of said latch means, said hinge section extending acrossthe top of the end of said spout,

said hooked end being located on said tab beneath the bottom of saidspout and is resiliently biased into engagement with said groove by saidhinge section serving as a spring.

4. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 3 wherein:

said hinge section has a sufficiently small cross-sectionalconfiguration so that it will break upon the movement of said latchmeans relative to said spout so as to release said hooked end from saidgroove, enabling said dispensing closure to be thereafter operatedwithout impedement from said latch means and said catch means.

5. In a dispensing closure having a closure body and a spout, saidclosure body having an opening extending therethrough, said spout havinga passage extending therethrough and being rotatably mounted on saidclosure body so as to be capable of being rotated between an openposition in which said passage is aligned with said opening and a closedposition in which said spout seals off said opening, the improvementwhich comprises:

a latch means and a catch means for latching said spout in said closedposition,

one of said means being located on said spout and the other of saidmeans being located on said closure body,

said means both being integrally formed with the parts of saiddispensing closure upon which they are located,

said latch means including a tab which is movable with respect to thepart of said dispensing closure upon which said latch means is locatedand a hooked end located on an extremity of said tab,

said catch means comprising a groove, 7

said latch means being sufficiently deformable and movable so thatcontact of said hooked end with the part of said dispensing closure uponwhich said catch means is located will cause temporary deformation ofsaid latch means so that said hooked end will snap into and engage saidgroove in such a manner as to prevent rotation of said spout relative tosaid closure body,

said latch means being located at the end of said spout so as to extendbeneath said spout,

said tab being integrally connected to said spout at the bottom of saidspout by a hinge section forming a part of said latch means,

said hinge section serving as a spring to resiliently bias said hookedend into engagement with said groove.

6. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

said hinge section has a sufficiently small cross-sectionalconfiguration so that it will break upon the movement of said latchmeans relative to said spout so as to release said hooked end from saidgroove, enabling said dispensing closure to be thereafter operatedwithout impedement from said latch means and said catch means.

7. In a dispensing closure having a closure body and a spout, saidclosure body having an opening extending therethrough, said spout havinga passage extending therethrough and being rotatably mounted on saidclosure body so as to be capable of being rotated between an openposition in which said passage is aligned with said opening and a closedposition in which said spout seals off said opening, the improvementwhich comprises:

a latch means and a catch means for latching said spout in said closedposition,

one of said means being located on said spout and the other of saidmeans being located on said closure body,

said means both being integrally formed with the parts of saiddispensing closure upon which they are located,

said latch means including a tab and a hinge section connecting said tabwith respect to the part of said dispensing closure upon which saidlatch means is located, said hinge section enabling said tab to be movedwith respect to the part of said dispensing closure upon which saidlatch means is located, said tab having a hooked end located on anextremity of said tab,

said latch meansand said hinge section being integral with one anotherand with the part of said dispensing closure upon which said latch meansis located,

said catch means comprising a groove,

the material within said hinge section being sufficiently resilient soas to serve as a spring resiliently holding said tab so that said hookedend is resiliently held in said groove, said latch means beingsufficiently deformable and movable so that contact of said hooked endwith the part of said dispensing closure upon which said catch means islocated will cause temporary deformation of said latch means so thatsaid hooked end will snap into and engage said groove in such a manneras to prevent rotation of said spout relative to said closure body,

said tab having an extremity located so as to be manually accessiblefrom the exterior of said closure, said extremity being capable of beingengaged so as to move said tab so that said hooked end is free from saidgroove so that said spout can be rotated to said open position.

8. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 7 wherein:

said hinge section has a sufficiently small cross-sectionalconfiguration so that it will break upon the movement of said latchmeans relative to the part of said dispensing closure upon which saidlatch means is located so as to release said latch means from said catchmeans, enabling said dispensing closure to thereafter be operatedwithout impediment from said latch means and said catch means.

9. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

said hinge section has a sufficiently thick cross-sectionalconfiguration so that it will not break upon re eated movement of saidlatch means so as to release sai latch means from said catch means.

10. A safety closure structure, said closure structure having a closurebody adapted to be secured to a container, said closure structure alsohaving a closure member rotatably mounted on said closure body, saidclosure member being capable of being moved between open and closedpositions, said closure body having an opening extending therethrough,said opening being closed when said closure member is in said closedposition and being open when said closure member is in said openposition, in which the improvement comprises:

a latch means for engagement between said closure body and said closuremember in order to prevent said closure member from being moved fromsaid closed position to said open position,

said latch means extending between said body and said member in order toprevent movement of said member when said member is in said closedposition,

a portion of said latch means extending to the exterior of said closurestructure, said portion being capable of being manually engaged so as tomove said latch means to a position in which said closure member can bemoved from said closed to said open position, and

means for automatically moving said latch member to a position in whichit extends between said closure body and said closure member so as toprevent movement of said closure member whenever said closure member ismoved from said open to said closed position.

11. A safety closure structure as claimed in claim 10,

wherein:

said means for automatically moving said latch means is a resilienthinge mounting said latch member on said closure structure.

12. A safety closure structure as claimed in claim 11,

wherein:

said latch means, said means for automatically moving said latch meansand said closure member are integrally formed of a material which issufficiently resilient to permit said means for automatically movingsaid latch means to operate as a spring.

I zgfigy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PatentNo. 3,655 099 I Dated I A -i] 11' 1972 Inventor-(s) ROBERT E ARD It iscertified that error appears in the above identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

I' I I Column 5, line 5, "cavity" should be --used--;

Column 6, line l5, after the word "therethrough" insert the followingphrase, --sa1d spout having a passage extending there-through";

Signed and sealed this 25th day of July 1972.

(SEAL) Attest: I

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents

1. In a dispensing closure having a closure body and a spout, saidclosure body having an opening extending therethrough, said spout havinga passage extending therethrough and being rotatably mounted on saidclosure body so as to be capable of being rotated between an openposition in which said passage is aligned with said opening and a closedposition in which said spout seals off said opening, the improvementwhich comprises: a latch means and a catch means for latching said spoutin said closed position, one of said means being located on said spoutand the other of said means being located on said closure body, saidmeans both being integrally formed with the parts of said dispensingclosure upon which they are located, said latch means including a tabwhich is movable with respect to the part of said dispensing closureupon which said latch means is located and a hooked end located on anextremity of said tab, said catch means comprising a groove, said latchmeans being sufficiently deformable and movable so that contact of saidhooked end with the part of said dispensing closure upon which saidcatch means is located will cause temporary deformation of said latchmeans so that said hooked end will snap into and engage said groove insuch a manner as to prevent rotation of said spout relative to saidclosure body said latch means being located at the end of said spout sothat said tab overlies the end of said spout, said tab being integrallyconnected to said spout by a hinge section forming a part of said latchmeans, said hinge section extending across the bottom of the end of saidspout, and said hooked end being located in said tab beneath the bottomof said spout and is resiliently biased into engagement with said grooveby said hinge section serving as a spring.
 2. A dispensing closure asclaimed in claim 1 wherein: said hinge section has a sufficiently smallcross-sectional configuration so that it will break upon the movement ofsaid latch means relative to said spout so as to release said hooked endfrom said groove, enabling said dispensing closure to be thereafteroperated without impedement from said latch means and said catch means.3. In a dispensing closure having a closure body and a spout, saidclosure body having an opening extending therethrough and beingrotatably mounted on said closure body so as to be capable of beingrotated between an open position in which said passage is aligned withsaid opening and a closed position in which said spout seals off saidopening, the improvement which comprises: a latch means and a catch mansfor latching said spout in said closed position, one of said means beinglocated on said spout and the other of said means being located on saidclosure body, said means both being integrally formed with the parts ofsaid dispensing closure upon which they are located, said latch meansincluding a tab which is movable with respect to the part of saiddispensing closure upon which said latch means is located and a hookedend located on an extremity of said tab, said catch means comprising agroove, said latch means being sufficiently deformable and movable sothat contact of said hooked end with the part of said dispensing closureupon which said catch means is located will cause temporary deformationof said latch means so that said hooked end will snap into and engagesaid groove in such a manner as to prevent rotation of said spoutrelative to said closure body, said latch means Being located at the endof said spout so that said tab overlies the end of said spout, said tabbeing integrally connected to said spout by a hinge section forming apart of said latch means, said hinge section extending across the top ofthe end of said spout, said hooked end being located on said tab beneaththe bottom of said spout and is resiliently biased into engagement withsaid groove by said hinge section serving as a spring.
 4. A dispensingclosure as claimed in claim 3 wherein: said hinge section has asufficiently small cross-sectional configuration so that it will breakupon the movement of said latch means relative to said spout so as torelease said hooked end from said groove, enabling said dispensingclosure to be thereafter operated without impedement from said latchmeans and said catch means.
 5. In a dispensing closure having a closurebody and a spout, said closure body having an opening extendingtherethrough, said spout having a passage extending therethrough andbeing rotatably mounted on said closure body so as to be capable ofbeing rotated between an open position in which said passage is alignedwith said opening and a closed position in which said spout seals offsaid opening, the improvement which comprises: a latch means and a catchmeans for latching said spout in said closed position, one of said meansbeing located on said spout and the other of said means being located onsaid closure body, said means both being integrally formed with theparts of said dispensing closure upon which they are located, said latchmeans including a tab which is movable with respect to the part of saiddispensing closure upon which said latch means is located and a hookedend located on an extremity of said tab, said catch means comprising agroove, said latch means being sufficiently deformable and movable sothat contact of said hooked end with the part of said dispensing closureupon which said catch means is located will cause temporary deformationof said latch means so that said hooked end will snap into and engagesaid groove in such a manner as to prevent rotation of said spoutrelative to said closure body, said latch means being located at the endof said spout so as to extend beneath said spout, said tab beingintegrally connected to said spout at the bottom of said spout by ahinge section forming a part of said latch means, said hinge sectionserving as a spring to resiliently bias said hooked end into engagementwith said groove.
 6. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 5,wherein: said hinge section has a sufficiently small cross-sectionalconfiguration so that it will break upon the movement of said latchmeans relative to said spout so as to release said hooked end from saidgroove, enabling said dispensing closure to be thereafter operatedwithout impedement from said latch means and said catch means.
 7. In adispensing closure having a closure body and a spout, said closure bodyhaving an opening extending therethrough, said spout having a passageextending therethrough and being rotatably mounted on said closure bodyso as to be capable of being rotated between an open position in whichsaid passage is aligned with said opening and a closed position in whichsaid spout seals off said opening, the improvement which comprises: alatch means and a catch means for latching said spout in said closedposition, one of said means being located on said spout and the other ofsaid means being located on said closure body, said means both beingintegrally formed with the parts of said dispensing closure upon whichthey are located, said latch means including a tab and a hinge sectionconnecting said tab with respect to the part of said dispensing closureupon which said latch means is located, said hinge section enabling saidtab to be moved with respect to the part of said dispensing closure uponwhich said latch means is located, Said tab having a hooked end locatedon an extremity of said tab, said latch means and said hinge sectionbeing integral with one another and with the part of said dispensingclosure upon which said latch means is located, said catch meanscomprising a groove, the material within said hinge section beingsufficiently resilient so as to serve as a spring resiliently holdingsaid tab so that said hooked end is resiliently held in said groove,said latch means being sufficiently deformable and movable so thatcontact of said hooked end with the part of said dispensing closure uponwhich said catch means is located will cause temporary deformation ofsaid latch means so that said hooked end will snap into and engage saidgroove in such a manner as to prevent rotation of said spout relative tosaid closure body, said tab having an extremity located so as to bemanually accessible from the exterior of said closure, said extremitybeing capable of being engaged so as to move said tab so that saidhooked end is free from said groove so that said spout can be rotated tosaid open position.
 8. A dispensing closure as claimed in claim 7wherein: said hinge section has a sufficiently small cross-sectionalconfiguration so that it will break upon the movement of said latchmeans relative to the part of said dispensing closure upon which saidlatch means is located so as to release said latch means from said catchmeans, enabling said dispensing closure to thereafter be operatedwithout impediment from said latch means and said catch means.
 9. Adispensing closure as claimed in claim 7, wherein: said hinge sectionhas a sufficiently thick cross-sectional configuration so that it willnot break upon repeated movement of said latch means so as to releasesaid latch means from said catch means.
 10. A safety closure structure,said closure structure having a closure body adapted to be secured to acontainer, said closure structure also having a closure member rotatablymounted on said closure body, said closure member being capable of beingmoved between open and closed positions, said closure body having anopening extending therethrough, said opening being closed when saidclosure member is in said closed position and being open when saidclosure member is in said open position, in which the improvementcomprises: a latch means for engagement between said closure body andsaid closure member in order to prevent said closure member from beingmoved from said closed position to said open position, said latch meansextending between said body and said member in order to prevent movementof said member when said member is in said closed position, a portion ofsaid latch means extending to the exterior of said closure structure,said portion being capable of being manually engaged so as to move saidlatch means to a position in which said closure member can be moved fromsaid closed to said open position, and means for automatically movingsaid latch member to a position in which it extends between said closurebody and said closure member so as to prevent movement of said closuremember whenever said closure member is moved from said open to saidclosed position.
 11. A safety closure structure as claimed in claim 10,wherein: said means for automatically moving said latch means is aresilient hinge mounting said latch member on said closure structure.12. A safety closure structure as claimed in claim 11, wherein: saidlatch means, said means for automatically moving said latch means andsaid closure member are integrally formed of a material which issufficiently resilient to permit said means for automatically movingsaid latch means to operate as a spring.